Is Hypnosis The Answer To Your Sleep Problems?

Yes, hypnosis can improve sleep quality and is far safer than prescription drugs. The aim is to help you attain a state of relaxed yet focused concentration that has been likened to daydreaming. Many insomniacs experience anxiety before bedtime, and hypnosis can be especially helpful in reducing obsession with sleep concerns.

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To learn the technique, you need a few sessions with a licensed hypno­therapist. He or she will help you achieve a trance state, during which you become open to helpful suggestions that enable you to better control thoughts, behaviors, and even physical responses. Thereafter, similar benefits may be obtained by listening to an audiotape of your session (ask your therapist to record it) before getting ready for bed. The practitioner's voice serves as your guide, but you remain in control; all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.

ANDREW WEIL, MD, is founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona. Send your questions for Dr. Weil to askdrweil@prevention.com.

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